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Wrongly Convicted Database Record
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Charge: |
Murder |
Sentence: |
Life Imprisonment |
Years Imprisoned: |
26 |
Year Crime: |
1982 |
Year Convicted: |
1982 |
Year Cleared: |
2008 |
U.S. State or Country of Crime: |
Illinois |
County or Region of Crime: |
Cook |
City of Crime: |
Chicago |
Result: |
Judicially Exonerated Released |
Summary of Case: |
"Alton Logan was wrongly convicted in 1982 of murdering a security guard and sentenced to life in prison based on eyewitness testimony. In November 2007 two lawyers for another man convicted of murdering a policeman revealed that their client confessed to the murder prior to Alton Logan's trial, but they were bound by attorney-client privilege to not disclose the information. The client said that after he was dead they could disclose he was the murderer, and the two lawyers made declarations about the client's confession that they put in a safe. Logan filed a motion for a new trial based on the new evidence. On April 18, 2008 Cook County judge overturned Logan's conviction, ordered a retrial, and released him on $10,000 bail. On September 4, 2008 the charges were dismissed. Logan had been wrongly imprisoned for 26 years. On April 17, 2009, Cook County Circuit Judge Paul Biebel Jr. issued a certificate of innocence for Alton Logan. The State of Illinois awarded Logan $199,000 in wrongful imprisonment compensation. Logan filed a federal civil rights lawsuit that named the City of Chicago and several Chicago PD officers as defendants. The City of Chicago agreed to settle the lawsuit in January 2013 for $10.25 million." |
Conviction Caused By: |
Erroneous eyewitness testimony. |
Innocence Proved By: |
"On September 4, 2008 a Cook County judge dismissed the indicment against Logan after his conviction had been overturned on April 18, 2008." |
Defendant Aided By: |
Represented in civil lawsuit by Chicago based law firm of Loevy & Loevy. |
Compensation Awarded: |
"$10,449,000 total. $10,250,000 (City of Chicago, Jan. 2013) and $199,000 (State of Illinois, 2009)" |
Was Perpetrator Identified? |
Yes |
Age When Imprisoned: |
29 |
Age When Released: |
55 |
Sex: |
Male |
Skin/Ethnicity: |
Black |
Information Source 1: |
"Alton Logan cleared after 26 years in prison, By Rummana Hussain, Chicago Sun-Times, September 4, 2008" |
Information Location 1: |
"http://www.suntimes.com/news/metro/1145291,logan090408.article" |
Information Source 2: |
"I want an apology from mayor Daley, By Rummana Hussain and Fran Spielman (staff), Chicago Sun-Times, September 5, 2008" |
Information Location 2: |
"http://www.suntimes.com/lifestyles/1146711,CST-NWS-logan05.article" |
Information Source 3: |
"Innocent man free after 26 years in prison, By Jan Crawford Greenburg, ABC News, April 19, 2008" |
Information Location 3: |
http://www.abcnews.go.com/GMA/story?id=4687216&page=1 |
Information Source 4: |
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Information Location 4: |
http://www.southernillinoisan.com/articles/2009/04/17/ap-state-il/d97kfrd80.txt |
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Comments About Case: |
Innocents Database Created and Maintained by Hans Sherrer innocents@forejustice.org